“I think you should see it.”
“Vanessa, please.”
Paper rustled on the other end.
Then she began reading.
“The boy Claire took home is not the Cole infant.”
My knees weakened.
I grabbed the bathroom counter.
Vanessa continued.
“The error was discovered too late. Richard says the truth must remain buried until the third child can be located.”
I stared at myself in the mirror.
Third child.
“What third child?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is there a name?”
“No.”
I heard her turn the page.
Then she gasped.
“What?”
Silence.
“Vanessa, what?”
“Oh my God.”
“Tell me.”
“There’s something written at the bottom.”
“What?”
“It’s not part of the letter. It looks like Natalie wrote it later.”
“Read it.”
Vanessa went quiet.
Then, very slowly, she said:
“It says, ‘I finally know who took the third baby.’”
My heart hammered.
“And?”
Vanessa inhaled sharply.
“She wrote a name.”
